State |
Tax per pack |
Rank |
Rhode Island |
$3.46 |
1st |
Connecticut |
$3.00 |
2nd |
New York |
$2.75 |
3rd |
New Jersey |
$2.70 |
4th |
Hawaii |
$2.60 |
5th |
Wisconsin |
$2.52 |
6th |
Massachusetts |
$2.51 |
7th |
District of Columbia |
$2.50 |
8th |
Vermont |
$2.24 |
9th |
Washington |
$2.025 |
10th |
Alaska |
$2.00 |
11th |
Arizona |
$2.00 |
11th |
Maine |
$2.00 |
11th |
Maryland |
$2.00 |
11th |
Michigan |
$2.00 |
11th |
New Hampshire |
$1.78 |
16th |
Montana |
$1.70 |
17th |
Delaware |
$1.60 |
18th |
Pennsylvania |
$1.60 |
18th |
Minnesota |
$1.56 |
20th |
South Dakota |
$1.53 |
21st |
Texas |
$1.41 |
22nd |
Iowa |
$1.36 |
23rd |
Florida |
$1.339 |
24th |
Ohio |
$1.25 |
25th |
Oregon |
$1.18 |
26th |
Arkansas |
$1.15 |
27th |
Oklahoma |
$1.03 |
28th |
Indiana |
$0.995 |
29th |
Illinois |
$0.98 |
30th |
New Mexico |
$0.91 |
31st |
California |
$0.87 |
32nd |
Colorado |
$0.84 |
33rd |
Nevada |
$0.80 |
34th |
Kansas |
$0.79 |
35th |
Utah |
$0.695 |
36th |
Mississippi |
$0.68 |
37th |
Nebraska |
$0.64 |
38th |
Tennessee |
$0.62 |
39th |
Kentucky |
$0.60 |
40th |
Wyoming |
$0.60 |
40th |
Idaho |
$0.57 |
42nd |
West Virginia |
$0.55 |
43rd |
North Carolina |
$0.45 |
44th |
North Dakota |
$0.44 |
45th |
Alabama |
$0.425 |
46th |
Georgia |
$0.37 |
47th |
Louisiana |
$0.36 |
48th |
Virginia |
$0.30 |
49th |
Missouri |
$0.17 |
50th |
South Carolina |
$0.07 |
51st |
Puerto Rico |
$2.23 |
N/A |
Guam |
$1.00 |
N/A |
Northern Marianas |
$1.75 |
N/A |
Nationwide average: $1.34 per pack
The list includes cigarette tax rate currently valid across the nation. Since 2002, cigarette excise taxes were raised 95 times by 46 states, US territories and District of Columbia.
California, South Carolina, North Dakota and Missouri are the only states that avoided increasing their taxes for more than ten years.
Up to the present moment of time 28 states and the US territories have tax rates above $1.00 a pack, with 16 of them (including Puerto Rico) levy more than $2.00 per pack of cigarettes.
Rhode Island and Connecticut are home to the highest state cigarette taxes, which are higher than $3.00 per pack.
New York City has the highest cigarette excise tax at $4.25 for a pack of 20 cigarettes, when combining the state and local rates, Chicago occupies second place with $3.66 per pack.
The nationwide average cost of a pack of cigarettes is nearly $5.15 (local sales taxes are not included). Prices essentially differ from state to state due to various local taxes, like 20 cent-per pack tax in San Francisco; other factors include discounts and retailer pricing strategies.
Federal cigarette excise tax is currently at $1.01 per pack. During the last couple of years, three major cigarette companies - Philip Morris USA (the maker of Marlboro), Reynolds American (owner of Camel, and a dozen of other brands), and Lorillard (leader of the menthol cigarette segment with Newport) – have all hiked the prices on their products by nearly $1 per pack.